The SPD will take charge of the Finance Ministry. Former Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz has been handed the post, as had long been expected.

Political pundits widely judged that gain as the most significant concession from Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who also suffered damaging losses in September's vote.

Germany is finally on the cusp of a new government, more than six months on from the federal elections. The final major hurdle was overcome on Sunday when the SPD's 460,000 members approved the coalition agreement with Merkel's conservatives in a ballot vote. Merkel is now set to be formally re-elected as chancellor on Wednesday.

DW has the lowdown on the new ministers.

Finance Ministry — Olaf Scholz

Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz was already long considered the designated choice for the role. He has federal government experience: he was labor minister from 2007 to 2009 in Merkel's first tenure, before returning to Hamburg when the SPD was voted out for her second term. He is considered popular in the party, though he ran into a wall of criticism in Hamburg last summer, after rioting broke out in the city during the G20 summit and police appeared to lose control of certain districts.

Announcing the appointment, SPD leader Andrea Nahles lauded Scholz for "expertly mixing fiscal discipline with investment in new infrastructure" during his reign as Hamburg mayor. Nahles also credited him with radically lowering Germany's unemployment rate during his time as Labor and Social Affairs minister in Merkel's first Cabinet.

But he has a few points to prove: the Finance Ministry has been held by CDU veteran Wolfgang Schäuble since 2009, and the erstwhile Merkel rival has kept an iron grip on Germany's public purse.

Schäuble virtually made a mantra of what Germans call "the black zero" — balancing accounts — and Scholz has already indicated he would stick to that fiscal conservatism, despite being a Social Democrat.

Scholz will also take on the role of vice chancellor.

Foreign Ministry — Heiko Maas

Rumors abounded on Wednesday that SPD parliamentary leader Thomas Oppermann would take on the role (after all, he needed a reward for ceding his job to new SPD leader Andrea Nahles). But on Thursday, news magazine Der Spiegel — citing its secret sources in political circles — reported that current Justice Minister Heiko Maas would assume the mantle.

The 51-year-old Maas has implemented a number of high-profile new laws in the past four years, such as a controversial crackdown on hate speech. He "will do an excellent job," according to current Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who was forced to answer questions about his successor at his last public appearance at the ministry on Thursday.

Nahles said Maas would bring the necessary "diplomatic skills" required for Germany's increasingly relevant role on the international stage.

Labor and Social Affairs Ministry — Hubertus Heil

SPD secretary general Hubertus Heil has been appointed Germany's next labor minister.

A member of the Bundestag since 1998, Heil has twice served as the party's secretary general. He was also one of the main contributors to the 2017 election manifesto and was part of the education policy committee during the coalition negotiations.

The ministry is one of the most important roles in the German government. It is responsible for social benefits, meaning it commands the biggest budget of all ministries — some €130 billion ($160 billion).

Heil was praised by Nahles for his experience in education and labor policy — two areas that will "have a major bearing on Germany's future," she said.

Justice Ministry — Katarina Barley

Scholz, announcing Katarina Barley's appointment, said she had proven twice in the past year that she can quickly and capably take over a ministerial post. Having served as both Labor and Family Minister in 2017, Barley will now take over the justice brief.

The daughter of a British former DW editor, Barley has been serving as family minister since last year, before which she was the SPD's secretary general.

She takes over the post from Germany's new foreign minister, Heiko Maas.

Family Ministry — Franziska Giffey

Perhaps the most eye-catching appointment is the elevation of the mayor of the Berlin district Neukölln, Franziska Giffey, to the Cabinet as minister for family affairs, senior citizens, women and youth.

It is very rare for a local politician to bypass the Bundestag completely to ascend to the Cabinet, and many consider her interest in social affairs makes her an apt choice. However, Scholz said that her experience as Neukölln mayor had prepared her for all the potential challenges a minister can face.

Neukölln, whose northern part is home to many Arab and Turkish communities, is routinely described as "troubled" by Germany's white-dominated newsrooms. The 39-year-old Giffey has made a point of trying to turn the district into a model of integration. At the same time, she has announced a "zero tolerance" policy toward Lebanese organized crime networks in the district. She has also come out against teachers wearing headscarves in schools, considering hair-covering a "religious symbol."

Maybe also significant: Giffey is the only minister in the new Cabinet born in East Germany. In spite of Merkel's prominence, East Germans have consistently been underrepresented in Germany's political elite since reunification.

Environment Ministry — Svenja Schulze

Incumbent Barbara Hendricks announced Wednesday that she would not be in the new government, paving the way for another fresh face.

In line with the promise of a gender balance, Svenja Schulze was appointed environment minister. Schulze, another relatively young newcomer, was previously minister for innovation, science and research in Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Chancellor: Angela Merkel (CDU)

Christian Democrat (CDU) Angela Merkel is Germany's chancellor. She is in her fourth term as leader of the German government and in her third at the head of a "grand coalition" between the CDU, its conservative Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democrats (SPD). Merkel says she will not run for chancellor at the next general election in 2021.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Minister of the Interior, Heimat and Construction: Horst Seehofer (CSU)

Seehofer was Bavaria's state premier until he took over the interior portfolio in Merkel's Cabinet. This will be the first time that the vaguely patriotic "Heimat" concept (roughly "homeland") is included in the interior minister's domain. Bavaria, however, has had a state Heimat Ministry for five years. Seehofer remains head of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) in Bavaria.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Minister for Foreign Affairs: Heiko Maas (SPD)

Former Justice Minister Heiko Maas succeeded his Social Democrat colleague, Sigmar Gabriel, as foreign minister in March. Maas was in charge of the Justice Ministry when the government passed a controversial internet law to combat hate speech online.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Finance Minister: Olaf Scholz (SPD)

Scholz served as mayor of Hamburg before moving to Berlin to take the reins at the Finance Ministry. The Finance Ministry's capture was a significant win for the SPD. Scholz will also serve as vice-chancellor. He had been in Merkel's Cabinet once before, as minister of labor and social affairs from 2007 to 2009.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Minister of Defense: Ursula von der Leyen (CDU)

Von der Leyen has been defense minister since 2013 and kept her job in the new government. This comes despite numerous scandals within the Bundeswehr, Germany's military, that broke since she took over the Defense Ministry. Her relationship with the troops suffered, but Merkel trusts her.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Economic and Energy Affairs Minister: Peter Altmaier (CDU)

Altmaier was Merkel's chief of staff at the Chancellery before his nomination to take over the Economy Ministry. The last time a CDU politician was in the post was half a century before. Altmaier is regarded as extremely loyal to the chancellor.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection: Katarina Barley (SPD)

Katarina Barley took over as justice minister after serving as both minister of family affairs and labor in the previous government. The 49-year-old is a lawyer by training and holds both British and German citizenship.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Minister of Labor and Social Affairs: Hubertus Heil (SPD)

Hubertus Heil succeeded Andrea Nahles, who stepped down to take over as head of the SPD. A member of the Bundestag since 1998, Heil has twice served as the party's secretary general.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Minister for the Environment: Svenja Schulze (SPD)

Svenja Schulze replaced party colleague Barbara Hendricks, Germany's former minister for the environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety, in March. Schulze previously served as minister for innovation, science and research in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Minister for Health: Jens Spahn (CDU)

Jens Spahn, 37, is representative of a new political generation within the CDU and seen as a future contender for party leadership. In the last government, he served as the parliamentary state secretary in the Finance Ministry. Prior to that, he helped lead the CDU's health policy in the Bundestag.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Minister of Education and Research: Anja Karliczek (CDU)

Anja Karliczek, a former hotel manager who is relatively unknown, was nominated by Merkel to take over the Education Ministry. She had a lot of money to spend: The ministry's budget was increased by €11 billion ($13.6 billion) to pay for school and university improvements shortly before her appointment.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Franziska Giffey's elevation from the mayor of Berlin's Neukölln district to cabinet minister was perhaps one of the most eye-catching appointments. Giffey bypassed the Bundestag altogether to ascend into government. But the SPD leadership believed her experience in charge of what has often been described as Berlin's "troubled" district made her the most suitable candidate for the role.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development: Gerd Müller (CSU)

Gerd Müller, 62, retained his post as development minister, which he has held since December 2013. He won the job over fellow CSU member Dorothee Bär, who was also in the running. Bär became the state minister for digital affairs in the chancellery, a newly created job.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Scheuer, considered a close ally of CSU party head Seehofer, took over the Transport Ministry from party colleague Alexander Dobrindt. He is experienced in the field: From 2009 to 2013, he was parliamentary state secretary in the Transport Ministry. Prior to his latest appointment, he was the CSU's secretary general.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Minister for Food and Agriculture: Julia Klöckner (CDU)

Klöckner previously worked as parliamentary state secretary in the Agriculture Ministry from 2009 to 2011. Between her ministerial stints in Berlin, she was deputy chair of the CDU and headed the CDU in the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government

Chief of Staff at the Chancellery: Helge Braun (CDU)

Helge Braun took over from CDU colleague Peter Altmaier as Chancellery head in March. He had previously served in deputy positions in the Chancellery and Education Ministry.